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It's hard to overcome cravings for food that is too sweet, salty, or fatty. Rather than giving up chocolate, fries, and (god forbid) pizza altogether, stop dealing with food guilt by having 'cheat meals' (or even 'cheat days'). Your cravings will be satisfied and you'll have more control over your appetite when you do eat more indulgent meals.

Often, when we begin to eat healthier, we develop a love-hate relationship with 'junk' food. Sometimes we binge on it and then, we feel guilty afterwards. It isn't worth living a life filled with food guilt.

Here's how to form a healthy relationship with food so that you can stop bingeing and start eating intuitively.

It’s the weekend and your social schedule is packed. You’ve got a night out with friends on Friday, followed by a wedding Saturday afternoon, and then a birthday party to cap it all off on Sunday.
Fun? Yes.

Eating healthy? Not so much.

Whether it’s an entire weekend of not-so-healthy eating choices, just one day, or even one really big meal (hello all-you-can-eat sushi!), there’s a good chance you’ll be looking to rebound afterwards.

Here are 4 steps to get back on track after over-indulgent eating so that you can help your body and mind recover. You'll be able to get back to eating and feeling the way you’d like.

1. Top Up With More Water

The thought of adding anything to your stomach might not be very appealing after a junk food binge, but drinking some water is the first step towards recovery.

Drinking water is crucial after over-eating for two reasons: First, it helps break down solid food. This enables your body to absorb more nutrients as food passes through your digestive tract.

Second, water helps prevent stomach bloating and constipation, which are likely the last things you want to experience after eating a big meal! Drinking even a little extra water will soften the solid food in your stomach and help speed up the digestive process.

2. Get Up, Get Moving

Although you might feel like parking yourself on the couch and binge-watching Netflix, one of the best things you can do after indulgent eating is to get up and get moving.

A little exercise will prevent a lethargic food hangover from setting in, plus it will give your metabolism a much-needed boost. Physical activity will help move excess blood sugar to your muscles where it will be used as energy instead of storing it as fat.

Falling for food temptations can easily be avoided by setting up an accountability system with a friend, cleaning out all junk food from your kitchen, or batch-preparing healthy foods so that you always have something good on hand.

Keep in mind that an occasional indulgence is no big deal – It’s not worth dwelling on it or beating yourself up. Just be proactive in getting your body back on track so that you can feel well as quickly as possible.

Author Bio:

Dave Smith is a professional fitness and weight-loss coach who was chosen as “Canada’s Top Fitness Professional” in 2013. You can find free workouts and more of his weight-loss resources at makeyourbodywork.com.

This is a post by PumpUp member @coachmelissa. Check out her website at melissalepage.com

What is binge eating?

Binge eating is a disorder characterized by compulsive eating that makes people feel out of control and powerless to stop. A binge eating episode can last for half an hour or on and off for a full day, and a binge eater eats without being able to stop or paying attention to what he’s eating, even if he stopped being full long ago. Binge eating can make you feel sick to your stomach, guilty, and like you’re spinning out of control.

It will take some time to break out of this bad habit. I don’t say this to discourage you, but to be realistic. You don’t develop disordered eating habits overnight, so you can’t expect to break them overnight either right? Be patient and consistent, I can promise you it WILL get better and you WILL be successful. Believe in yourself that you can change this bad behaviour by replacing it with a healthy habit that will turn to be a lifestyle.

If you want to know how to stop binge eating, follow these steps:

1) Don’t diet. This is not the answer to your problem.There’s a good chance that a diet is what spiraled you into binge eating in the first place.

The solution: You need to have healthy and well-balanced meals every day. Which means three meals + two snacks throughout your day with good carbs, proteins, fruits & veggies.

2) Never skip breakfast. No matter what. Breakfast is THE most important meal of your day. The reason is pretty simple; it gives you the energy and vitamins to start your day. Think of it like the fuel for your body. If you skip breakfast, you will find yourself eating way more during lunchtime than if you had your breakfast. Plus, if you are trying to lose weight, skipping breakfast won’t help you will gain weight.

The solution: You don’t have to eat the minute you hop out of bed. Give yourself some time. You can either, get up a bit earlier to make yourself a healthy breakfast or pack it with you when you leave your house and eat it once you get to school or the office. Another idea is to prepare the night before what your breakfast will be on the table. Smoothies are a great idea to start your day!

3) Reduce your stress level. This is one of the major causes of binge eating. Stress steals your happiness. You will need to learn how to reduce stress in your life.

The solution: Start exercising. Seriously. Exercising 3 to 6 times a week will not only reduce your stress but you’ll be more energetic, positive, alert, lose weight and much more. Heck! It’s the perfect remedy and it’s FREE!

4) Remove ALL temptations! Yes, you heard me! Cookies, chips, and sodas…they all have to go. Removing temptations in your house will help you stop binge eating and in your weight loss journey as well.

The solution: Clean your fridge and pantry. Get rid of all temptations that you think would damage your success. Bring in only healthy and smart choices! Tip: Before leaving the house for grocery shopping: have your grocery list already made, shop only in the fresh produce aisles nothing sealed or packaged.

5) Have positive support. If you know you will need help in the beginning, you can ask your family members, spouse or me to help you in this journey. Being supported is so important for your success!

The solution: Don’t be ashamed to ask for help, remember you are not alone in this, ask people for help and support. I personally can help you by providing healthy meal plans, exercises, tips, motivation, etc…

I would love to help so you can break free of binge eating and live a healthy fulfilling life!

Today, make the decision to change this behaviour with a healthy lifestyle. Once you made the decision, make a commitment to yourself. Decision and commitment made, take action now. Start small. In your first week, start with one of the 5 tips above. Implement these tips weekly by changing your old habits on a daily basis. One step at a time, no rush, you will get there. Remember to be patient, believe and be kind to yourself.